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Author Topic: Sway bar end link removal  (Read 1839 times)

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Offline r4pinto

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Sway bar end link removal
« on: October 10, 2017, 10:14:00 AM »
On my 1980 Pinto the end link for the sway bar is rusted away and needs replaced. I have a spare bar from my old 78 runabout and it still has the link. Is there any certain trick to remove them or would I be better off swapping bathe entire bar?


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Matt Manter
1977 Pinto sedan- Named Harold II after the first Pinto(Harold) owned by my mom. R.I.P mom- 1980 parts provider & money machine for anything that won't fit the 80
1980 Pinto Runabout- work in progress

Offline Wittsend

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Re: Sway bar end link removal
« Reply #1 on: October 10, 2017, 10:23:29 AM »
A rusted nut is an obvious problem. Some of the nut buster sprays might help.  You will need a wrench on both the top and bottom of the bolt, otherwise it will just spin. Also, the ends often bottom out on something and bend, or at the least mash the threads. Sometimes you can cut the bad section out but remember that the longer than normal exposed threads are to accommodate compressing the rubber. Cutting off too much can make it difficult, if not impossible to reinstall.

Offline r4pinto

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Re: Sway bar end link removal
« Reply #2 on: October 10, 2017, 10:25:20 AM »
Noticed on the bar itself there is a hex, and then the part appears to thread in to the hex that bolts to the control arm itself. Is that correct or am I missing something?


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Matt Manter
1977 Pinto sedan- Named Harold II after the first Pinto(Harold) owned by my mom. R.I.P mom- 1980 parts provider & money machine for anything that won't fit the 80
1980 Pinto Runabout- work in progress

Offline r4pinto

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Re: Sway bar end link removal
« Reply #3 on: October 10, 2017, 10:40:00 AM »
Looking at the images online of the link it might be easier to swap bars. I will be fixing it when I rebuild the front suspension next week since it’ll be in the air.


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Matt Manter
1977 Pinto sedan- Named Harold II after the first Pinto(Harold) owned by my mom. R.I.P mom- 1980 parts provider & money machine for anything that won't fit the 80
1980 Pinto Runabout- work in progress

Offline dick1172762

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Re: Sway bar end link removal
« Reply #4 on: October 10, 2017, 10:49:21 AM »
If you have the stock Ford bar on your car, there should be a T shape connected to the lower control arm. This T shape connector will have a thru bolt that ties it to the control arm. Remove the thru bolt, unbolt the sway bar and remove it from the car. Now you should be able to remove all the parts. The hex shape fitting unscrews and then everything will come apart. The use of a large socket on the hex will be a great help on removing it. Break the hex loose before you remove the thru bolt. When you put it back together replace the thru bolt with a longer bolt, double nut the bolt and just snug it up where you can move the T fitting back and forth. This will keep the T fitting from breaking as most do sooner or later. Piece of cake.
Its better to be a has-been, than a never was.

Offline r4pinto

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Re: Sway bar end link removal
« Reply #5 on: October 10, 2017, 10:52:40 AM »
The thru bolt is what rusted off the link itself so wasn’t sure how to remove it. I will try to remove the hex and see what happens. Although not sure how I will get the t-shape connector off the donor bar.


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Matt Manter
1977 Pinto sedan- Named Harold II after the first Pinto(Harold) owned by my mom. R.I.P mom- 1980 parts provider & money machine for anything that won't fit the 80
1980 Pinto Runabout- work in progress

Offline dick1172762

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Re: Sway bar end link removal
« Reply #6 on: October 10, 2017, 11:00:17 AM »
Remove the thru bolt and the T fitting will come off.
Its better to be a has-been, than a never was.

Offline r4pinto

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Re: Sway bar end link removal
« Reply #7 on: October 10, 2017, 11:02:18 AM »
By the thru bolt are you referring to the hex? The damn thing is rusted away so I can’t see what you are referring to in order to remove anything. There is the bolt at the control arm and he large hex on the bar THATS IT!!!


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Matt Manter
1977 Pinto sedan- Named Harold II after the first Pinto(Harold) owned by my mom. R.I.P mom- 1980 parts provider & money machine for anything that won't fit the 80
1980 Pinto Runabout- work in progress

Offline dick1172762

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Re: Sway bar end link removal
« Reply #8 on: October 10, 2017, 11:10:47 AM »
No. The thru bolt is what holds the T bracket to the control arm. The large hex holds the rubber bushings to the T bracket.
Its better to be a has-been, than a never was.

Offline Wittsend

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Re: Sway bar end link removal
« Reply #9 on: October 10, 2017, 01:39:24 PM »
My apology. I was expecting the Pinto end link to look like 99% of the others out there.  But, after reading Dick's description I went had had a look. I was WRONG!  Disregard anything I said that does not apply.

Offline r4pinto

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Re: Sway bar end link removal
« Reply #10 on: October 10, 2017, 01:47:21 PM »
My apology. I was expecting the Pinto end link to look like 99% of the others out there.  But, after reading Dick's description I went had had a look. I was WRONG!  Disregard anything I said that does not apply.
Which was the issue I had an after his response have the same issue. Telling me about a part that is rusted off and nonexistent is pointless. I appreciate your attempt.  My frustration is on his reply not yours. A shame they didn’t have a conventional style link like all the others. I will figure it out some how.


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Matt Manter
1977 Pinto sedan- Named Harold II after the first Pinto(Harold) owned by my mom. R.I.P mom- 1980 parts provider & money machine for anything that won't fit the 80
1980 Pinto Runabout- work in progress

Offline dick1172762

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Re: Sway bar end link removal
« Reply #11 on: October 10, 2017, 02:16:28 PM »
My apology. I was expecting the Pinto end link to look like 99% of the others out there.  But, after reading Dick's description I went had had a look. I was WRONG!  Disregard anything I said that does not apply.
  Well at least you understood what I was trying to say about the sway bar links. The thru bolt problems cause me to carry several spare's while racing. Then I tried the snug thru bolt and the problem went away. The 1 inch sway bar and the high g's from racing on gumball slicks just over loaded the T bracket. I now use a heim joint in place of the T bracket and it fits better than the stock set up. In the rear I just used the old tried and true link with rubber or poly bushings on each end. But I learned to beef up the floorboards to prevent cracking. Live and learn so they say.
Its better to be a has-been, than a never was.

Offline Wittsend

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Re: Sway bar end link removal
« Reply #12 on: October 10, 2017, 05:04:01 PM »
Maybe these pictures will help. Please excuse my "Dumb Phone" 3.1 MP camera images. Even sharpening them and going B&W didn't help much.


 There are three items in "play" here. There is the lower ball joint, the angled strut rod (keeps the lower control arm moving forward/backward) and the swaybar end link. They are all held in place on the lower control arm with effectively what are two bolts, - but the rear "bolt" is also the swaybar link.  That "bolt"/end link must be unique because it HAS to tighten the mentioned items but not crush the rubber in doing so.  It looks like a real cost cutting move to associate so many parts and use what might be called "half an end link" to accomplish the task.


The first image is the front view.
The second image is the side/top view (from the rear).
The third image is the bottom view of the lower control arm.

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Re: Sway bar end link removal
« Reply #13 on: October 10, 2017, 05:50:07 PM »
Well! I've never seen a Pinto with a sway bar from the factory that didn't have the T bracket. Looks like from your picture that T bracket has been replaced and the link is bolted to the strut rod where it also is bolted to the lower control arm. What you may have is an after market sway bar. In the early days some Pintos came with out bars up front. The way yours look, the link from the bar to the control arm is shorter by one or two inches. Never seen one like your picture. BTW the T bracket is an upside down T when installed on the car.
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Re: Sway bar end link removal
« Reply #14 on: October 10, 2017, 05:56:17 PM »
Go to e-bay, then ford pinto nos sway bar links. Then the  first and third picture are what I'm talking about. Try first, second, and fourth.
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Offline Wittsend

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Re: Sway bar end link removal
« Reply #15 on: October 10, 2017, 10:02:51 PM »
Well! I've never seen a Pinto with a sway bar from the factory that didn't have the T bracket. Looks like from your picture that T bracket has been replaced and the link is bolted to the strut rod where it also is bolted to the lower control arm. What you may have is an after market sway bar. In the early days some Pintos came with out bars up front. The way yours look, the link from the bar to the control arm is shorter by one or two inches. Never seen one like your picture. BTW the T bracket is an upside down T when installed on the car.

Not sure if it is aftermarket, or not. It came that way when I got it in 2007.  Could it be a 1973 oddity like the one off steering rack?  That hex nut on top looks decidedly Ford. If I recall my Mustang II rear sway bar (not yet installed) has a very similar looking piece.  As the saying goes, "Who would have thought the answer had so many questions."

So, for the second time..., don't follow me.

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Re: Sway bar end link removal
« Reply #16 on: October 11, 2017, 03:41:15 PM »
Here are some pix I made of the sway bar bushings and nut on my stock 73. The top "nut" is actually like a "plywood nut" used in woodworking to secure panels with bolts, it is fabricated from sheet metal with a threaded cylinder attached.

 Note that the sway bar is sandwiched between the two rubber bushings and not in direct contact with the top nut.

Theres also a pic of the underside of the mounting plate for the bolt secured with 2 bolts into the lower control arm.

On my 73, the bolt that secures the sway bar also secures the radius rod to the lower control arm.  It is "splined" and press fitted into the radius rod. So removal is a real chore and may require loosening the radius rod and or unbolting it from the control arm. Part of the bolt extends downard thru the control arm and ball joint mount and secured with a nut, the other end extends upward to secure the sway bar.

I suppose that if your bolt was rusted, and you cannot find another it would be possible to replace the bolt with allthread and nuts below the control arm and one above the radius arm, then secure the sway arm and bushings with a washer and nut at the top. Best to use a self locking nut or jam nuts so you can compress the rubber bushings to the proper tension.

Also, I think you might need to weld the bolt onto the bottom plate to prevent  it from moving around.

Also note that there is a spacer between the control arm and the bottom washer holding the rubber bushings.

I also included a pic of the sway bar to frame mount for a stock 73 if you need it.
Red 1973 pinto wagon DD, SoCal desert car, Factory 4 speed, 3.40 gears, Stock engine, 14" rims and tires, 60 K original miles

Offline dick1172762

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Re: Sway bar end link removal
« Reply #17 on: October 11, 2017, 04:34:36 PM »
My 72 Group 2 Pinto came from the factory without a sway bar or mount up front. I ended up using a Mustang II 1 inch diameter V8 bar. The 1 inch bar was an export bar sold over the counter in Canada for $22 American. The bar fit right up after I welded some 2 inch angle iron onto the frame for the front mounts.
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Re: Sway bar end link removal
« Reply #18 on: October 11, 2017, 10:57:34 PM »
Well, that now makes two of use who have the exact same set up on our '73 Pinto wagons. So, my guess is that it is factory - at least for '73.

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Re: Sway bar end link removal
« Reply #19 on: October 12, 2017, 03:49:41 PM »
Sure sounds like it. Ford is known to use what ever is on hand when the model is at the end of production such as the 71/73 model and the 80 model (where 8" rear ends were used with 2300 engines).
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